Software Development & Testing Methodologies – A Complete Guide

Introduction

Software development methodology contributes to being a wide assortment of proven practices and practical ideas which are useful for the management of software projects in an efficient manner.

In other words, it is the package of different processes. 

Software testing methodology is recognized to be a wide assortment of testing types and strategies that are beneficial in certifying and ensuring that the application which has been tested accomplishes the requirements and expectation of the clients.

The test methodologies are inclusive of integration testing, unit testing, performance testing, and system testing.

Here is a list of the different types of software development and testing methodologies:

Waterfall Model

In this model, the progress of software development continues through a bunch of phases such as design, requirement analysis.

In the model, the next phase starts with the completion of the earlier phase. The very first phase in the model happens to be the requirements phase in which different project requirements are defined in a complete way prior to the beginning of the testing.

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In this phase, the test team is known to brainstorm the test strategy as well as the scope of testing after which the test plan is drafted in detail.

With the completion of the software design, the team will continue the execution of different test cases with an eye to ensuring that the developed software functions according to the expectations.

In this process, the testing team progresses in the immediate next phase as soon as the past phase is accomplished.

The advantages of this methodology are many:

• Waterfall works based on clear, well-defined set of steps. The progression is, therefore, intuitive
• It determines the objective clearly and at an early stage of the testing process, thus enabling teams to stay focused on the goal
• The Waterfall method, because it is methodical and sequential, transfers essential information coherently. It means collaboration within the team is seamless

Iterative development

This model involves the division of the huge project into several small parts. Every part is known to be subjected to a wide array of iterations of the model.

With the end of the iteration, there is a development of the new module or there is an enhancement of the existing model.

The module is known to be integrated into the architecture of the software after which the complete system is tested.

With the completion of the iteration, the whole system is subjected to the testing process.

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The feedback which is received from the testing can be availed immediately and gets incorporated in the immediate next other cycles.

It is possible to reduce the testing time which is needed in the iteration successively in accordance with the experience, which is earned from the previous iterations.

The primary benefit of the iterative development happens to be the test feedback which can be availed at the other end of every cycle immediately.

Agile methodology

An astonishing 71 percent of companies are implementing the Agile methodology as of 2021, while 60 percent of organizations report growth in revenue and boost in profits after adoption of the Agile approach, according to HBR.

The traditional software development functions on the premise in which the various requirements of software are consistent throughout the project.

With the rise in complexity, the requirements need to go through a bunch of different changes and evolve in a consistent manner.

There are times when the customer cannot say what he wants exactly with security. Via the iterative model, this issue is addressed in a proper manner and is based on the waterfall model in a complete manner.

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In the agile software testing services, the development of software continues in different incremental and rapid cycles.

Emphasis is given to the clients and developers, and interactions between the customers instead of tools and process.

The agile methodology involves responding to change instead of extensive planning. The incremental testing is known to be used in a wide array of agile development processes.

Thus, each release of the project needs to be tested in a thorough manner. This ensures that each and every bug present in the system should be fixed prior to the next immediate release.

Extreme programming

It contributes to being a sort of agile process which is dependent on the short development cycles.

The project gets divided into a series of simple engineering tasks. The programmers are known to code the simple piece of software after which they reach the clients for getting their feedback.

There is the incorporation of the different review points from the customers after which the developers will be proceeding within the other immediate task.

Developers require working in pairs in extreme programming. The needs of the clients keep changing in a consistent manner in this cycle.

Conclusion

You need to keep in mind that the methodologies are not set up for the testing of the software code.

You should not take the bigger picture into consideration and it is a prerequisite that the goal of the project needs to be satisfied with the aid of the testing procedure.

Realistic scheduling contributes to being the key to the implementation of the testing process in a successful manner.

It is necessary that the schedule should accomplish the requirement of the individual member, present in the team. In order to ensure that each and every member of the team are on the same page, you require providing the well-defined deliverables.

You need to ensure that the deliverables comprise of the direct content without the ambiguity.

With the completion of scheduling and availability of defined deliverables, the testing team needs to have the capability for the formulation of the proper test approach.